Saturday, November 21, 2009

I have decided to have a little contest. These 2 pictures show you Payton's personality to perfection. All you need to do is come up with a caption for one or both of these photos. You can do both together or separately. Photo #1Photo #2Payton's Mommy and Daddy will pick their favorite and I will come up with a prize for the winner or winners. You will have until 6:00 Monday night to leave a message with your caption. What came to your mind when you first saw these pictures? I know they made you smile!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Today I'm going back in time because I'm still blogger brain dead many of you probably missed this the forst time around. This is my first Show and Tell post in September 2007.

This bean has been in a small brown envelope in a drawer in my Mom's secretary for as long as I can remember. I have no idea how old it is or where it came from. All I know is we (my brother and I) have always been fascinated by the bean.

So what is with this bean? It is full off....elephants!!Yes, inside this bean are ten elephants!These carved ivory elephants are about the size of the flame on the dime. Are you fascinated like me? Have you ever seen anything like this? I would love to find out more about it.

Magical Seeds From IndiaThe owner of a magical seed will be granted a wish for each elephant contained inside it.So goes the Hindu legend, anyway! And this tiny little seed comes from the "kunda-mani" which is the famous "good luck tree" of India. The shiny red seeds are often referred to as Circassian seeds, presumably in reference to the legendary beauty of the ancient land of Circassia and are produced by a tropical Asian tree called the red sandalwood. The top of the seed has been carefully removed and a carved elephant stopper put in its place. This elephant carefully guards your wishes inside the seed. There are a varying number of little elephant wishes inside, usually from about 7 to 12, although you will have to use a great deal of imagination to see anything resembling an elephant in the pieces. Seed measures 3/8 inch across and including elephant stopper, stands 1/2 inch tall. A great conversation piece and who knows?......perhaps your good luck awaits you here!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Our weather has been so mild I've gotten a lot of outdoor work done that I didn't get to this summer. My gardens are cleaned up better than they have ever been.

I added an extra row of bricks to the short path from the sidewalk to the street. I planted more vinca around this tree. Can you see that it is still blooming?I've edged the entire from yard. I'm really happy to have this done because I shouldn't need to redo it in the spring.

The bonus?

This lovely blooming primrose! They love cool weather and decided to show how happy they are!

I also read what I think will be a great recycling/garden tip. Lay your old carpet pieces where you are planning to add gardening space. In the spring the grass/weeds will be gone and you will have good soil underneath. I might give this a try. It sure beats using weed killer.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

There is a real cute miniature golf course in Allegheny where we went camping. I took Jerzie's golf set along so she could try it out.Her golf form wasn't the best at first!It didn't take long to discover that 2 balls are better than 1.Much better form.Did it really go in the hole?!!

Friday, November 13, 2009

When I got this window I wasn't sure what I would do with it. I hung it on the end of the deck for the summer. Since it was green, I decided to try it in the dining room for now.I cut and dried some of my ferns, sprayed each fern with spray adhesive and stuck them to the back of the window.I like the look of it over my mantle. I may leave the ferns on when I put it back on the deck but if not, all I need to do is pull them off and clean the window.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Friday, November 06, 2009

I got a real treasure at the huge household sale I went to last week. This kids enamel topped table was marked 75 dollars.I couldn't get it out of my mind so I went back on 50% off day and it was still there.

I left a bid of 20 dollars and ended up with it! I love it and I'm sure Jerzie will too. Because of my addiction, I just happen to have a chair that will work with it.

It's in the dining room for now but I'll put it on the deck in the summer.For more Show and Tell posts go visit Cindy's Romantic Home.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

I'm slowly getting ready for winter. There is something to do every free minute I have. I still need to clean the deck and put up 3 more storm windows. The gardens are cleaned out but I have some larger decorations to put away.My freezer is ready. I have bean, potato and vegetable soup plus chili all made up and in single serving containers. Nothing beats coming up from work and sticking a frozen, homemade soup in the microwave. A great warm meal in less than 10 minutes!

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

I'm always happy when they pick up our leaves. The pressure is off and I don't need to worry about leaves anymore.If I had that blower I wouldn't have to drag tarpfuls from the backyard!They have it down to a science now. Each worker has his own job to do.

This is the only time my street will see a sidewalk plow.

That's a lot of leaves! It's much easier when the leaves are wet for this job.

Synchronized driving!

Next comes the street sweeper and the leaves are all gone until next year.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

I went to a huge household sale last week and this is one of my purchases that I'm excited about. Do you have any idea what these are? Would you have actually paid money for these old rusty pieces? Any idea what I'm going to do with them?These are the old ball half to a hitch you put on your vehicle. It was a third off day so I got them for 4 dollars. I know, most of you think I was robbed but you just need to use your imagination! I'm going to try to find pipe they will screw into (if I can't I'll figure out something else) and use them for hose guards in one of my gardens!Okay, be honest, would you buy them now?For more 2nd Time Around posts go visit Diane.